Snot Bubbles and Bandages
by XPsypher
Summary: Four Heads stared at me from the horizon. I stared back in complete shock. Well shit. A Naruto Reincarnation Fic. ***UPDATE This story is now on an indefinite hiatus. I don't know if I'll ever get back to it, but please enjoy what I have written so far*****
1. Prologue: Tragic Night

**Author's Note:**

 _Thoughts_

"Speaking"

 **Naruto is Masashi Kishimoto's property. I only wrote this to amend my Writer's Block.**

* * *

There were no clouds that night, a sight that had Kimiko's eyes fixed to the sky. She couldn't sleep, a thing that was a regular occurrence for her, so she sat quietly on the balcony rocking chair overlooking the empty streets of Konoha. Her hand rested comfortably on her extended belly as she rocked, giving it a soothing rub. Her baby had always acted up at night, but this time it was more than usual. Sweat trailed down her forehead to her tanned cheek. She tried to keep it a secret, Kimiko didn't want to worry anyone. Alas, all her effort was in vain thanks to her husband. The man was so skilled. Keeping a secret from him, especially one at this magnitude, was impossible.

And he wasn't happy when he found out.

Kimiko frowned, mind trailing back to the argument she had an hour ago with the raven haired man. She knew she was fine, she just had to be! This was all just part of the experience of pregnancy. At Least that's what she told herself. Kimiko closed her eyes as another kick came from the baby. Once they subsided she opened them and sighed. It was all for the best, she told herself, her husband was just worried for her. A trip to the hospital wouldn't hurt anyone. Kimiko bit her lip as she rubbed her belly once more. If what she thought was so, then why was she so apprehensive?!

Why was she so scared?

The sound of broken glass knocked Kimiko back into reality. Her anxiety was replaced with confusion as a slight chill ran down her spine. Kimiko ignored it, carefully pulling herself out of the chair before walking carefully back into the interior room.

"Honey?" Kimiko called, one hand protectively on her stomach.

No one answered. Instead the sounds of a struggle erupted from behind the bedroom door, down the hallway that was just outside the kitchen. Kimiko's eyes widened, body stiffening inside the dark room. As she hushed her frantic breaths she could hear, all to clearly, the surprised grunts of her husband as he desperately tried to fight off whoever was inside with him. Kimiko acked on instinct and ran to find something, anything to protect herself with. She was in the kitchen, the clattering of cutlery hitting the floor as she scoured one of the many drawers. Her breath hitched when she brought out her favorite kitchen knife. She held it up in the air like it was her saviour, blade glinting in the moonlight.

"That won't do you any good." The voice was deep, emotionless, but so, so young. Kimiko stilled, the sudden burst of fear crawling up her spine and into her soul. As she slowly turned around she couldn't help but wonder, at the griping feeling in the back of her mind

 _That voice..._

 _That voice sounded familiar..._

When her eyes landed on the unwelcome newcomer, all she could do was scream.

* * *

 **...**

 **I don't know why I wrote this. Send Help. Writer's Block is killing me.**


	2. Unorthodox Birth

To say that I came out screaming would be a huge underestimate. Wailing would have been a more precise descriptor.

Gone were the protective and comforting walls. Gone was the slumbering warmness. What replaced instead was the horrible feeling of hot irons pressing against my skin.

I wailed and hollered obscenities into the sharp air, hoping for anyone to take this pain away from me. However, all that came out were unintelligible high-pitched gurgles.

Maybe if I payed attention more, I would have noticed the signs. But my conscience wouldn't have it. I was more focused on my body than the ginormous hands picking me up and into a soothing blanket.

* * *

Time passed and eventually, so did my wails. I had worn myself out to a particular degree. The pain was still there but enough to the point of barely managing it.

Barely.

By then I was able to take a look at my surroundings, or rather that lackthereof. My eyes were a dark blurry mess. I could hardly see a thing! I could feel the screams bubbling inside of me, along with the burning feeling tight in my chest. I took a couple of deep breaths, or at least tried to. It was hard keep myself in even the slightest bit of control. Any movement felt as if I'd gone and ran a marathon.

Something wasn't right.

Suddenly it was as if a wave of sound crashed itself on top of me, and I could hear _everything._ The screams that I kept contained inside of me let themselves loose. I must had startled somebody because not too long after that, I could hear something slam open. Loud pounding footsteps neared me, and before I knew it, I was lifted up into the air. My screams drowned out the concerned coos of a person. My mind blocked them out entirely, I was too focused on the problem at hand.

About a minute later I blacked out.

* * *

The next thing I remembered, I was laying on my back with my head to the side. The sounds of loud static beeps woke me from my uncertain slumber, and I found myself restricted by the many tubes sticking out of my body.

My incredibly _young_ body.

If I had the strength to leap up onto my feet I would have done so. Instead, the only indication of my surprise was the twitching of my left foot. My mind reeled at the implications of my predicament, that seemed all too real. As time slowly ticked by, my mind slowly came to a conclusion, one that I desperately didn't want to accept. But I did, albeit frantically.

' _I'm an INFANT?!'_ The thought tore through my mind. 'Nononononono this can't be possible!'

My eyes darted around, finally able to manifest the images around me. My lower half was covered by white blankets, which felt wonderful mind you, and my upper half was exposed completely with tubes sticking out of my chest and arms. My eyes locked on the heart monitor next to me and I tracked the squiggly light as it's beeps synced with my increasing heart rate.

I was in a hospital, which one I didn't know. However, I was determined to find out. Luckily for me, the chance for new information came from an unsuspecting source.

The familiar pain from earlier graced its presence once again, sending me into a screaming frenzy. It was like that some foreign energy was invading my body and trying to mark its place. Whatever it was, I didn't like it. It was horrendous and unnatural, ever flowing and unbearable.

I just wanted it to end.

So when the door to my room burst open, I watched as multiple people invaded my vision, all spouting some incoherent language that somehow, jogged my memory.

' _This language...why was it so familiar?'_

My screams drowned out any other thought. The pain was back.

I felt something sharp prick my skin. I was out like a light after that.

* * *

I woke up again expecting pain, but finding nothing. In fact, I was being carefully cradled by a...nun?

Well, she looked like one.

I grumbled, shifting my body underneath the comfortable blanket. I had no idea how much time passed, not that I cared. What I was more focused on was the inconceivable notion that I was somehow a baby!

I mean, how could this have happened?! I felt my body squirm inside of the protective arms, which only continued to fuel my panicked mind. My rational conclusions were all out the window. The one thing keeping me from going insane was the belief that this was all a dream. Something my mind came up with after being pushed through mounds of stress.

Because I knew I had been.

My mind shot back to the memories before, before I woke up to this mess.

It was the big night out with my buddies. We went to celebrate at the bar, for what?, I had no clue. My mind was to foggy to figure that detail out. I had a few drinks, a few laughs, I remembered a pat on the back and then...

A whimper escaped my mouth, gaining the nun's attention.

I remembered everything, and I didn't like it.

Not one bit.

* * *

 **I still don't know what I'm doing. Send help.**


	3. Realization

I cried in that poor woman's arms for hours, nothing she would do stopped me. Looking back on it I did feel sorry for her.

But only a little bit.

It was only when she laid me down in my crib that I finally came to to terms with what was happening. That I died, in a drunken car crash. I berated myself for the longest time, staring at the walls as I nailed my mind with questions.

 _How could you be so stupid?!_

 _What's wrong with you?!_

 _You should have known better!_

A whimper escaped my lips, frustrated and sad. I could bitch and whine all about it now, but it wouldn't change anything. I stared up at the ceiling in silence, before a thought trudged its way into my head.

 _What if this is Death's way of punishing me?_

A gurgle escaped my mouth. Whether it was or wasn't, it made sense either way; At least in my mindset. Supernatural involvement beside, I had to get used to what was happening.

That meant finding out where exactly I was.

I wouldn't find out for a matter of months, thanks for my body's stupid sleeping patterns. However during that time, life moved on. I pooped, peed, ate, and cried. All The While, picking up bits and pieces of language on the way.

From the limited info I gained from observing, I realized that I was living in an orphanage. That meant for whatever reason that my parents either didn't want me, or were dead; A realization that brought a damper to my mood for a while.

However it didn't stop me from making friends, rather letting kids oggle at me and pinch my cheeks. The orphan kids seemed to be good natured at heart from what I saw. I couldn't speak a word of Japanese, nothing nada. In fact when I would speak, all that came out was a sputtering glob of sounds. Nothing intelligent there..

However, everything changed once the crawling phase took over.

If my memory served me right it was my fifth month at the orphanage, and on one particular day I had a few interesting visitors. They were kids, outsiders, ones that I was pretty sure had families.

Not that I was jealous or anything.

But there was one thing that stood out to me, besides the adult that accompanied them: They were wearing cosplay. Some damn good cosplay from what I could tell.

During their visit I happened to gravitate to one of the boy's laps while they were in the playroom, much to his displeasure. I was all over him, pulling at his shirt and hair, and poking intently at his cool metal headband. A headband that had the symbol of something very familiar to me etched into it.

The Konoha leaf symbol.

I continued to poke at it, despite the boy's constant jabbering. To that I blabbered, slobbering all over him, and inciting the laughter of the two other kids and adult. My eyes went back to their previous fixation, the headband. Thoughts bombarded my mind in an instant.

 _Where did they get these?_

 _Why did it feel so real?! By the touch of it, the plating had to be made of metal!_

However, the answers to these questions only came back with a wild theory. A theory that I wouldn't believe to be true, for a while.

By awhile, I meant by another two months.

But in those two months, I would continue to be visited by kids similar to the first group. All accompanied by an adult, wearing the same cool cosplay gear. I was starting to get used to them but it all had to end someday, and it did.

It all ended with my adoption.

* * *

By the time I was adopted, my walking experience was at it's beginner stage. I was also begrudgingly graced with the itching and burning known as teething. My even tempered mood went down a peg, aggravated by my gums, so much so that I assaulted anything in my path with a slobbery vengeance. Luckily for my victims, a cooled teething ring would be in my mouth before i could do any serious damage.

Lucky bastards.

I had only seen the couple once. A lovely duo with hair an equal color of brown, despite the husband's color being two shades darker than the wife's. They both wore traditional Japanese styled clothing with a stylish twist, even though the colors were very bland. They seemed like a mundane couple, which was what surprised me when I was suddenly taken from the orphanage and into town.

But it wasn't like I was suddenly whisked away. By the looks of the couple, it seemed like they went through a long and hard process just to get to me, though they looked pleased despite my thoughts. I really didn't care at the moment. I was just happy I finally got a family, one that reminded me of my parents in my previous life. So, I put up no fuss when I was brought out. I was far too busy looking around to care.

My senses were alert, and the pain that became so normal to me flaired up. More so than usual. I whimpered, setting off a worried glance from my new father as they walked down the quiet tree filled path, with me squirming in my new mother's arms. I could sense something big, like a large amount of energy flaring from multiple places around me. I didn't know how far or close it was, but it felt overwhelming. It was like I couldn't , whining about it wouldn't help me. Not when the approaching sounds of people and carts quickly enveloped our little group.

It appeared to be late into the week as civilians crowded the streets, going about their business, chatting with friends and relatives. I watched with eyes like a hawk, digesting every detail as I layed in my new mother's arms. Thoughts that were prodding my mind before where now ramming it, desperately trying to break down the mental blocks within my psyche. Everything around me gave off an enormous amount of nostalgia, so much so that it hurt.

I puffed up my cheeks in annoyance, tiny hands finding their way towards my new mother's brown locks. In exasperation I pulled, gaining a quiet "Itai" from the young woman. She was quick to berate me, though all that followed was a playful pout and a tap on the nose. I was then passed over to my father, who had stopped in the middle of the street along with my mother. I leaned on his chest while he carried me on his side with one arm, using the other to point excitedly ahead of him. By the sound of his voice he wanted me to look as well, so I did.

I did my best to keep my jaw from dropping, but from the amused look of my mother, I assumed I did a sucky job.

Ahead of us in the distance was a monument that resembled Mt. Rushmore, if it had faces of fictional characters carved into it. I didn't know how long I stared at it, but my attention was immediately destroyed once my parents walked away down a side street. Even so, the image was still stuck in my mind.

Four Heads stared at me from the horizon. I stared at the ground in shock.

 _Well shit._

My mind reeled around the possibilities, but the possibilities were swatted away by the pure absurdities of that logic. Yet everything made sense. The children in cosplay, the overwhelming nostalgia, that strange orphanage. My mind was blown, still not noticing the change in atmosphere, the scented smells of home cooking,and the warm carpeting beneath me. My attention turned to the new environment around me.

I was in living room.

 _Huh_

As I was sat down in the living room, vacantly staring at the wall, I regrettably concluded my theory. I was in fact in the Naruto Universe.

But that wasn't all.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a young boy come into view, looking like a combination of my new mother and father. The short bowl hair cut on his head swayed as he neared us, eyes on me with intense curiosity, despite them being incredibly droopy. As he sniffled up a drip of snot from his nose I heard mother yap to him about something. However in that sentence, one word stuck out.

Udon. The kid's name.

Why did he seem so familiar?

* * *

 **I'm tired and my brain hurts. It's too late to post anything else.**


	4. Meetings and Ideas

**Author's Note: Now that's summer is here, I can focus time on my writing again! Yay!**

 **Now I did get an interesting review, so I'll address it here.**

 **iluvfarytail: You're onto something! :D**

 **Anyway, in joy this short chapter!**

* * *

I found out Udon's identity. I was a four months away from being two at the time, overshadowed by my brother who turned five two months before the new year. It was early into the cold December when a friend of Udon's came over for a play date.

A loud, blue scarfed friend.

"UDON!" The kid's voice could have destroyed our house by sheer volume alone. I winced, dropping the building blocks in my stubby hands as my brother rose to his feet. He greeted his friend in his own, less obnoxious way. My eyes tore from the two blabbering friends to a tall man, who sighed immensely from the front door, covered in snow.

My eyes widened. The smoke from his cigarette gave away his identity right away.

"Asuma-san?!" Mother gasped in surprise as the dark haired shinobi entered the living room, young as ever. I watched in hidden fascination as the man briefly chatted with mother, while the small child near him hopped over to my brother.

"This's gonna be so fun!" Konohamaru beamed with a wide toothy smile. He looked like a more chibified version of himself, more so than his part one appearance. He had that weird grey helmet on his wide head, with hair sticking out of it. His short sleeved shirt was a dark blue, and wore light grey pants. The short socks on his feet were a bit worn, each of his big toes stuck out from their respective holes. Udon laughed, snot bubble threatening to fall from his nose. I crawled next to him, hands gripping his tan pants.

 _Well this is interesting._

Never would I have ever imagined that I'd be connected with someone like Udon. From what I remembered of him, he was a side-character that I cared less about.

However, my new situation changed that mentality, probably because he seemed more three-dimensional, now the was real. I looked up and was startled by Konohamaru's eyes, which were staring at me with surprise.

"You never told me you had a sister!" Konohamaru exclaimed. "That's a girl right?"

 _A girl?! He seriously thought I was a girl!_

I puffed my cheeks in anger. "Boy!" I barked. Konohamaru was apparently taken aback by that.

"No way!" He gasped before crouching to my level. His finger poked at my cheeks, like I was some sort of unknown creature. Udon sniffed up a bubble of snot with a worried expression.

"Konohamaru, I wouldn't do that. Katsu hates it when people touch his cheeks!" Udon warned. Unfortunately, the warning never hit Konohamaru's thick skull. It took three more pokes before I snapped, attacking him with a mouth full of gum and tooth. I clamped on Konohamaru's finger with all my tiny might.

His cry was comical, and a joy to watch.

"Katsu!" Mother boomed. " You can't bite our guest!" I immediately let go, sitting back on the floor with a hidden smile as Konohamaru frantically wiped his hand on his shirt.

"Eek! You little monster!" He growled, shooting me a glare. I stuck out my tongue, happy at my efforts to make the boy angry. I never really liked Konohamaru. Like Naruto, their personalities never caught on to me. Loud and boisterous people always got on my nerves.

Udon did his best to calm Konohamaru down.

* * *

Moegi bumped into Konohamaru and Udon's lives two months later.

It was during that same year that Udon got an interesting idea from Konohamaru and co.

"I want to be a ninja."

Mornings around the breakfast table were usually a simple and quiet get together. So when Udon bursted out of the blue with his small declaration, mother and father were obviously taken aback. Mother dropped the wooden spoon she was feeding me with, while Father dramatically spit out a gulp of tea he took from his cup. I couldn't say I blamed them, after all we were a civilian family that happened to own a lucrative business.

A business that was supposed to be passed down through each generation.

I wouldn't have been surprised if our parents had planned out our whole lives for us, they just seemed like that type of people. They both acted as if Udon's statement threatened to blow their plans for us right out of the water, well for Udon.

I had no idea what they wanted to do with me, since I wasn't actually blood related.

Mother started to talk down Udon's statement, like it was one of those fantasies kids had when they were young, but Udon seemed dead serious. Out of all of my limited time with him, I had never seen such a serious face grace his features. Though he did look thoughtful for the past two weeks. I guess that he's been thinking hard about his little idea, one that was surly going to get him grounded.

I sat on my high chair, trying to maintain a quizzical look on my face as Mother continued to heckle my brother. Udon was quick to respond.

"Konohamaru and Moegi are going in the ninja academy next year! I want to get strong just like them!"

"Academy?" I asked out loud. Apparently my outburst struck a nerve in mother, which resulted in a heated argument between a six-year old and a thirty year-old. It only lasted for another minute before father raised his voice.

"Enough!" Udon and mother stopped bickering, Udon staring at his food while mother gave one last look at him. I watched as father shot Udon a glance.

"We'll have this talk later, it's too early in the morning for this. Now go and get ready for the day." Father said. Udon fidgeted in his seat.

"Udon, that wasn't a suggestion."

I gulped from where I sat. You could say that there was a tense atmosphere for the rest of that day.

* * *

I was put to bed early that night. I assumed Mother and Father wanted to have a heart to heart with their son, so I stayed out of it.

But I couldn't stop myself from peeking out.

The crib was fairly tall, tall enough for the drop to the floor to seem daunting for someone my age.

I wouldn't let that stop me of course. So, using my all-star baby mobility, I hoisted myself up and over the rail, hugged the bars for dear life as I slid down towards the leg. I could feel the crib budge at the sudden shift in weight, and my heart leapt up into my chest in fear.

But why did it hurt?

The sudden pain threw me for a loop, causing my hands to slip right off the bars and too the carpeted ground below. The drop wasn't far, barely even a foot and a half, but it was enough to startle me and send me up screaming.

My lungs ached, so I gasped for air between screams, barely noticing worried hands scooping me up into strong arms. No matter how much they talked or swayed, nothing could keep me calm.

"-at happened?!"

" He-"

"-e hospital, something's not right."

The words passed through my head. Darkness claimed me soon after.

* * *

I woke up in the middle of a debriefing it seemed. My eyes felt heavy as I opened them, but closed up quickly at the burning light. I groaned, the pain in my chest still lingered but was leagues better than what it was before. I could finally breath again clearly than before, but pricks of pain still showed up here and there. The talking suddenly stopped and I could hear something shifting, before a soft hand grasped mine. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see the tear stricken face of my mother. She was a mess to say the least. Her brown hair was in a disarray, from scratching at it, her eyes were red and puffed from crying, father wasn't looking too good either. However what concerned me the most was what was missing.

Where in the world was Udon?

"O-oka.." The word was stuck in my throat, like the question in my mind. It was like my mouth stopped working. I tried to speak once again, but all that came out was air. I was just too tired to do anything. My eyes closed quickly, resting as the conversation resumed with more urgency. The hospital sheets did nothing to comfort me.

Her sobs continued to fill the room, even after minuets passed, me attempting to reach out to her only worsened it. I decided that it'd be for the best to do nothing at that point. I zoned in and out of sleep by then, too tired to even open my eyes. It was in those moments, before I fell back into darkness, when I heard something in between mother's sobs.

"I-I can't Nobu, I can't lose another child. Not again."

* * *

 **If you couldn't tell by now Katsu is a very sick child. This will be important for the future.**

 **I'm starting to get a feel for this story. What I'm planning to do is to do chapters involving introduction** **interactions between a few of the main cast and my oc. Hopefully this will go well**


	5. Blonde Encounter

**Author's Note: Man, I churned out this chapter quick! If you couldn't guess by the title of this chapter, my main character will be meeting a special someone this time around.**

 **Enjoy! Sorry for some writing mistakes.**

* * *

I've always hated hospitals, but ninja ones started to change my views. There was still that distinct smell of disinfectant and death, but it was tolerable enough to handle. Especially for a nose as undeveloped as mine.

It took more than a month for my body to get back to its former shape. In that limited time I was graced by the presences of Udon, Konohamaru, and Moegi. They were a cheerful bunch of kids, doing their best to cheer me up despite me being so sick. Udon seemed to be the one taking my illness hard the most, despite him trying to hide the emotions on his face.

Very badly mind you.

But he got better as the days turned into months, but I didn't notice the change in time until I was released. It felt like an eternity. I was gradually getting older and as I began to regain strength at home, I began to notice that my birthday was coming up.

July 7th, and it was only May, yet my parents were hyping it up like it'd be some grand party. If I were a regular baby, I would have been a happy gurgling mess, but I wasn't, I saw through their bullshit. I wasn't complaining though, anything to keep my mind off the annoying slack of my body was a good thing. I welcomed it with open arms. So when mother took me out to the market square, I was more than excited to go. I was ecstatic.

It had been a long time since I went outside, in fact the only time I remembered was when my parents brought me home for the first time. The others were probably while I was rushed to the hospital, multiple times. So I made it my mission to take in every sight around me, and enjoy it.

So I did.

On that early afternoon it was uncomfortably warm, yet downtown Konoha was lively as ever. I had grown to the point where i didn't need to be carried around on a baby sling, but weak enough where walking for too long would tire me out. So mother carried me most of the way, only putting me down for a few minutes before picking me up again. I highly protested this, huffing and pulling at her clothes, but she ignored me. I frowned at the oblivious expression on her face. If she thought she was going to keep me stuffed in her hot arms, she was wrong.

I would find freedom when she would least expect it.

I was starting to sympathize with children more, now that I had to relive as one. All the coos and the attention was good and all, but it could only go so long. I wanted to be free, after all I wasn't technically a kid. I was just an adult trapped in a child's body. I was even sure that I was older than mother.

I rolled a piece of cold fruit in between my few teeth and gums in annoyance, ignoring the gazes and coos of passerby's.

 _I can't help that I look so cute! Can't you find some other baby to gawk at?!_

Unfortunately my thoughts never leapt out of my head. After all my attention was soon grabbed by the frustrated shouts coming from down the street.

"Get back here you orange brat"

"Naruto! When Lord Third hears about this he won't be happy!"

"HAHAHA! Eat it you losers, dattebayo!" The high pitched voice wasn't easy to miss, especially if the owner of said voice was high tailing it right at you. I stared in both shock and awe, nearly falling out of my mother's arms as I leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse of the yellow-haired buffoon. And I did, but maybe more than what was necessary. Naruto had collided with my mother, right into her stomach. The impact was so forceful that it sent her falling backward, into a number of stunned passerby. Luckily I was in the safety of my mother's arms when she landed, and therefore unharmed. Taking my chance I wiggled my way out of her grasp, just in time to see the blonde boy disappear into the crowd.

"Sorry la-!" I heard him cry, but the startled cries of the townspeople drowned out his voice. I crawled off the dusty ground and onto my feet. Finally, I'd met someone from the main cast, unofficially to be correct.

I wouldn't let this chance pass by me. Who knows when I would get another?

So I took off as fast as my little legs could take me, totally ignoring the future consequences of my actions. I had to catch Naruto before he disappeared, and I had a good place to start.

* * *

I didn't know how long I ran for, but once I stopped by a pretty tall tree I decided to call it quits. It felt like I'd chased after Naruto all day, but as I looked up at the sky I realized that the sun had barely changed its place.

 _Huh._

I gasped for air, my high pitched voice filling up the empty space of the park. My incredibly dark hair filled my vision. I needed to sit down, I needed to sit down and think. I took one step and immediately regretted it. My leg muscles hurt like hell, all of that running must have caught up with me.

 _Damn it! Not now!_

If my body could speak it would have laughed at my face at that moment and pulled me down to the ground. But Thankfully I plopped my own self down, grateful that the pants on my legs protected me from the pesky dirt around me. I sat there contemplating my next move when I looked around. My expression soured even more.

I was lost.

The realization would have put any grown adult into a mild form of panic, but to an adult trapped inside of a child's body, your emotions become a bit more unstable. I could feel the tears trail down, and before I could do anything, I was full blown crying.

I just couldn't stop it! It came down in buckets!

I desperately tried to stop myself, but all that accomplished was snot filled gasps. I was officially a total mess.

"H-hey! What's wrong?" Somehow I managed to open my tear filled eyes, turning my head to face whoever was speaking to me. A concerned Naruto was looking at me, hanging upside down on a tree limb with his legs. I stared at him agape and watched as he dismounted with ease, surprising for a kid who's supposed to be the worst of his class. But what did I know? Naruto had proven to be coordinated, many more times than I would ever be.

"Oi!, are you okay?" Naruto's voice was closer. My attention snapped back to reality and I found, to my surprise, that he had crouched to my level and was staring at me with his piercing blue eyes. My heart skipped, sending a spark of pain through my body. I jumped back in fright, flailing my arms as I rolled a few feet away from him. Naruto yelped back in confusion, shaking both hands in front of him.

"Wait! I didn't mean to scare you ttebayo!" He yelled. I stopped, face buried into the ground as a defence mechanism, before thinking.

Why in the world was I suddenly so scared of him? It wasn't like he did anything to me!

I listened to my thoughts and picked my head up from the ground, when I felt it. It was subtle, so miniscule that I almost missed it, but there it was. That violent and chaotic energy that focused specifically behind Naruto's green shirt, dead on his belly.

 _Kyuubi_

The thought dawned on me, only making me more scared than I had to be. The kyuubi was just one giant fluff ball, one that had a stick up his butt for the majority of the series. Naruto walked carefully towards me, eyes shining with anxious wonder.

"Did your parents leave you here? Or..are you like me?" The last part was murmured more to himself. I felt awful looking at those hopeful eyes. A part of me wanted to tell him that I was an orphan, a child whose parents left before he got to know them. However the other part of me knew that I never could, since I was adopted. I wiped my eyes with my bare arm. Comfort from a baby was the last thing Naruto wanted, but how could I stray away from a chance like this?

However that chance would never come.

"NARUTO!"

The blonde haired child spun around, just in time to see a spiky ponytailed chunin march up the park steps. Naruto blanched and started to make a dash for the exit. He wouldn't get very far.

"I-Iruka sensei!" He yelped. In a flash Iruka was on him. Tanned skin a stark red before Naruto found a fist firmly planted on the top of his head. Naruto shrieked, nursing the quickly growing bump right as he fell hard to the ground, rolling about in pain. Iruka took a few breaths of air to calm his anger before shaking his head in disappointment. Once Naruto's cries of pain subsided, Iruka spoke.

"You've got some nerve skipping out of class! Not to mention going out and pranking! Naruto this is the fifth time this week!" He lectured. Naruto jumped up onto his feet with fire in his eyes. He adjusted his green goggles before clenching his fist in anger.

"Well it's better than being stuck in that boring room all day long! I can't be a ninja if I'm stuck inside all day! I wanna do something!" He complained. Irucka punched the bridge of his nose, only God knew how many times he had to put up with the ignorant blonde.

"Naruto that's-huh?" Iruka stopped, eyes finally catching my gaze. Iruka's expression faltered for a bit, before turning back to Naruto.

"Who is this?" He asked, pointing sharply at me.

"I was about to find that out! Until you interrupted me! Wahh-" Naruto yelped as Iruka pushed past him with his hand. Ignoring the stream of protests from the boy, he crouched to my level. I stared up at him, trying to make my expression as unreadable as I could.

But I knew it wouldn't fool him. Even if he was kind of lame.

"Why are you out here all alone?" He asked with a face fill of worry.

"Um Iruka sensei, I don't think she can understand you."

My ears perked up.

 _She?!_

My face turned incredibly sour.

 _Why did everyone think I was a girl?!_

I puffed up my cheeks in anger, regaining huge amounts of energy that I lost before. I bounded to my feet and pointed accusingly at Naruto.

"I'm a dude cat boy!" I growled. Naruto and Iruka flinched back in surprise, probably because of my response. Who wouldn't? I mean what kind of one year old says "dude"? It took a moment for Naruto to recover, but when he did , his eyebrow twitched.

"Cat boy?! I hate cats! Why you little!-"

"Naruto hold it!" Iruka snapped, grabbing the boy before he could do damage to me. I smiled devilishly at him, sticking my tongue to add more insult to injury.

"That expression," Naruto blanched "That kid's a monster!" Naruto backed up into Iruka, and if he wasn't careful, he could have slipped inside of him. His reaction was equally as comical as Konohamaru's, causing me to laughed out loud. Now that I looked at him, I could see similarities in both Naruto and Konohamaru. It took a second for my laughter to die down, but when it did, I smiled.

Those two were destined to meet, I suppose.

I looked up at Iruka, expecting to see a laughing face, but no. His expression wasn't happy at all, instead I saw an expression filled with mixed emotions. He stared almost blankly at Naruto, who was still tucked in his now tense arms. I frowned, realizing the context behind that expression before I looked back at Naruto, soaking in his comment.

 _If only you knew Naruto._

* * *

Iruka made it a mission to take me with him, despite my protests that I could find my way myself. However, my protests were the only things that held up what was left of my dignity. I had no idea where I was going.

Being cradled by the arm of a ninja was an interesting experience to say the least. The feeling of rushing wind as we hopped from rooftop to rooftop was unfamiliar yet, exhilarating to endure. My tiny arms were wrapped around his neck and luckily, my hair was tied up in a small pony, to keep it from slapping him in the face. I couldn't tell how long we were hopping about for, but when we touched down to the ground I found myself in front of what looked like police station. As I gazed up in wonder, I felt Iruka turn his attention to Naruto.

"You better stay here Naruto! I don't want to give you more homework than I have to!" Iruka warned as he walked towards the doors. I turned my head towards Naruto, who glared at me before sticking out his tongue.

I glared right back.

The doors to the police station swung open, revealing the tearful yet relieved face of my mother, who'd been sitting in one of the many chairs in the lobby.

"KATSU!" She gasped, jumping straight out of her chair and towards me, at what seemed like the speed of light. Iruka was overwhelmed, yelping as I was pulled out from his arms. I couldn't help but laugh at his confused , but when I turned my attention to the police officers in the background, everything changed. A large amount of them had taken huge sighs of relief, like a heavy weight was lifted off of their chests. The group around the receptionist seemed the most affected by my arrival. Quite a few of them had incredibly sickly skin, that only returned to normal when they laid eyes on me. At that moment I became incredibly confused.

They were that concerned about me? Well that's a first!

 _And something I should look into later._

"Is that _the_ child?" My mother asked in a hushed tone, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned my head back to her and saw my mother staring straight at Naruto, who attempted to hide from her gaze. She turned sharply to Iruka with a frown.

"He was with my son?!"

I could feel the fear and hatred roll off of her, and it nearly suffocated me. It felt like red hot irons pressing against my chest, and I didn't like it. However it didn't feel right, it was like some sort of...chakra! I squirmed in my mother's arms in total surprise, and luckily I wasn't the only one who was taken aback. Iruka was quite shocked, though he hid it by the slight widening of his eyes. Her chakra was quite something for a civilian women. From what little I knew of her, she had an incredible distrust in ninjas yet, from her chakra alone she had potential to become one.

At Least from my standpoint.

Which made it refreshing to see that someone else agreed with me, even though it wasn't stated out loud

"Calm down um...?"

"It's Miho-san to you! Now listen, I don't want that thing to ever get near my baby ever again! You hear that!"

"H-Hai Miho-san." Iruka complied.

I couldn't agree more with Iruka, she could become very scary when angry. The killing intent was falling off in buckets, threatening to suffocate me in an instant. Without thanking any of the ninja, my mother marched off with me tucked securely in her arms. She made it a mission to alright avoid Naruto when she exited and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy as I gave one last look at him.

He looked like a kicked puppy.

I wouldn't see him for a while after that.

* * *

 **Naruto and Iruka's character were challenging for me to write. Surprisingly I spent a while on the dialog. Hopefully this turned out alright.**

 **I also decided to include the police force. Since all the Uchiha are dead at the point of this story, it now enlists high-end shinobi from any family background. They also will play a part in this story, even if it's minor.**

 **The next chapter deals with Katsu's birthday and a certain raven haired boy with a tragic past.**

 **I can't wait to get writing!**


	6. Dysfunction and Onyx Eyes

May and June passed quickly, and I rarely went outside because of my mother becoming even more overprotective of me. She had this stupidly irrational fear of Naruto and vented about the boy quite openly to father, even though we were all getting quite sick of it. But it was good to hear that he was back at his pranking.

In those months Udon had become more reclusive, always staying up in his room right after coming home from civilian academy. I worried for him but seeing how that his grades were drastically improving, I assumed that he was working hard.

For what purpose, I had no idea. At least until two weeks before the beginning of July.

* * *

Stairs were the bane of my existence, a rival I made sure to beat in my coming years. So it wasn't unusual to see me repeating going up and down them, tiny hands leaning against the walls like it was some kind of crutch. It was on one of my sessions during a rainy night that I heard arguing down in the living room. Against my better judgment I waddled down to the base step before toddling over to get a better view. I peeked around the corner and watched with worry as I saw Mother and Udon having another shouting match. It took me a while to understand them because well...you know.

Japanese.

However when I finally deciphered it, the pieces slowly fell into their places. Udon was seeing a shinobi recruiter behind our parents backs.

I felt a swirl of pride swell up inside of me. The fact that someone like Udon defied his parents wishes gained my immediate respect for his character, err...growing character. In the anime he always seemed like a blundering nerd, but if he kept this attitude up, his character would surely change for the better.

At Least that was what I hoped.

My eyes looked over to father, who was surprisingly taking the backseat in this one. I frowned. This family was so dysfunctional, and I knew this certainly wouldn't help with my development later on. I took another step to the side, to get a better look, when the floorboards creaked, gaining all the attention towards me.

Father was the first one to move, rising from his chair to go over and pick me up. While I rested in his arms I caught a glance at Udon, who looked at me with anxiety and...hatred?

That definitely wasn't something I had seen before.

Father was halfway down the hallway when I asked him the question.

"Why's oka-san and nii-san fighting?" I turned my large eyes towards his face. Father was silent for a while but eventually have in. He sighed, looking at me with a tired smile.

"Udon just did something without your oka-san permission."

"You mean the ninja thing?"

"..."

"Yes the ninja thing."

It was quite the rest of the way to my room, and I made no fuss when he laid me down in my crib. I studied his face, noticing how older he looked in the moonlight. For the matter of fact, mother also looked quite aged. It was like a wave of stress came down on them both and swept each other away to their untimely doom. I started to feel bad.

Maybe them adopting me brought more strain to their relationship, and I didn't want them to get a divorce. I guess this was the price to pay for living in the Narutoverse.

 _I'm a burden to you aren't I?_

I looked up at rather to see his eyes widened considerably and mouth agape. I stared back, relating the thought I previous had only to realize that...I said it out loud.

Oops.

Father looked at me differently, as if confirming an undeniable truth.

"Where did you get that idea?" The question was demanding, not something you would ask your nearly two-year old child but a young adult. I suspected he realized that I had some sort of intelligence. That I of itself was bad, very very bad. Being considered smart at that age was almost killer for any child. You would be labeled as a prodigy and have your childhood stripped away from you faster than you could blink. I thought of ways to cover up my slip but, I knew they wouldn't work.

Father wasn't stupid, and neither was mother.

"W-Well nii-san's been strange, you guys have been acting weird and well...I just feel that it's my fault." I left many of my other assumptions out, only giving him the bare bones, just enough for him to form an opinion.

"No,no,no..." He reassured me, pushing a few strands of hair out of my face. "Everything's fine Katsu. It's not your fault that things are the way they are. Oka-san's just been like that ever since I met her." Father gave me a peck on the forehead before leaving, turning out the light to leave me to my thoughts. I stared at the blank ceiling, blocking out the muffled shouts from the living room below.

 _This can't go on forever._

I told myself that, but I didn't believe it.

And I wouldn't.

Even as the days passed I still felt the tension in the house, however slight.

* * *

My birthday was rather interesting.

It was one of the other few days that I spent outside, this time tucked in a baby sling. I didn't protest, it seemed that mother had a ton of things on her mind. The last thing she needed was a baby screaming at her. So I laid silently, eyes fixed on her contemplative face right as she turned into a particular store.

A flower shop.

"Miho? I haven't seen you in a while!" An older woman greeted mother in a kind voice. I watched mother smile as she walked over to the wooden counter, passing flowers of all kinds.

"It's good to see you too Tomoko, how's Inoichi doing?" Mother asked, tired eyes glancing momentarily at the vase resting on the counter. My eyes darted towards to the woman standing across from her. She didn't look like anyone I'd seen before. Her honey brown hair was tied up into a bun by a beautiful ribbon and her whole outfit, although suited for gardening, seemed very well put together. I was struck with a regal vibe, like her presence demanded authority. My eyes stared at her face when the name mother asked about finally clicked into my mind.

 _Wait...Inoichi?!_

It all made sense, this was Ino's mother, her pupil-less green eyes said everything. However it was strange that she never appeared in the canon story.

"Inoichi is busy as always, but I'm more concerned about you my dear. You look half dead!" Tomoko said as she put her hands on her hips, a typical mother stance. Mother shrunk under her gaze, squeezing a bit too hard on me, causing me to squeal with displeasure.

"See! Even Katsu agrees with me!"

"Oh Tomoko please!"

The two friends shared a laugh, one that ended as quickly as it came. I however, frowned in confusion.

 _How did she know my name?!_

"So," Tomoko began, leaning on the counter. "What can I get you?"

Mother stared down at me for sometime, as if contemplating her thoughts. After a while she returned to face Tomoko.

"Actually..." She began. "I need to talk to you about something." Tomoko's face quivered as if slightly agitated.

"Couldn't this wait until later? I'm sorry Miho but I have a store to run." Mother wasn't waived by the comment and stood rooted to the ground, her hands clenching around me in desperation. She wasn't going anywhere.

"Please, it's important."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Tomoko leaned closer, eyebrow raised with intrigue. Mother took a quick glance at me, as if conveying a message to Tomoko through her eyes. It took a second for Tomoko to understand, but when she did she frowned.

"Fine, but I'm going to need a detailed explanation once we're alone." Tomoko gave in. Mother bowed deeply, so deep that I was afraid that I'd fall out of her arms.

"I'm grateful Tomoko-senpai!"

"Don't get ahold of yourself now Miho! You don't have to call me that anymore!" Tomoko sighed as she straightened up, hands back on her sides. "Seriously!" she shook head in exasperation. Then her eyes made way to mine, once mother stopped bowing. We both stared at each other for a brief second, until she smiled.

"I'm very sorry about this."

I blinked, confused.

 _What was she talking about?_

Then there was a feeling of something foreign poking at my brain, trying desperately to get in. I knew what it was then.

 _Genjutsu?! Really! I thought for sure she was a civilian!_

I tried my hardest to fight it off but to no avail, the drowsiness was kicking in. I whimpered weakly into mother's arms before fading into blackness.

 _Why am I always getting knocked out?_

* * *

I woke up in my mother's arms, face smushed against a beautiful bouquet of flowers. By the time I got my bearings mother was staring at me with a pained smile. I grumbled, hands clenching at the soft fabric on her shirt.

 _Who lets someone genjutsu their own kid?! My mother apparently..._

I watched as mother opened the door to the house before being greeted by a strangely happy Udon, who watched me with hidden glee. Mother sat me down on the carpeted floor in the living room, allowing me to roam around for a bit when Udon stepped in my path. I looked up at him, cocking my head to the side as he lowered himself to my level.

With both of his hands behind his back, mind you.

"Katsu!" He beamed. "I have a surprise for you!" Udon pulled both hands in front of him, presenting a nicely wrapped gift with my name scribbled on it. I smiled, clapping wildly before snatching the gift from his hands. Mother, who had been apparently watching the whole time, chiding me.

"Katsu! That's very impolite, now say thanks to your brother!" She chided. I puffed my cheeks at her, before turning back to Udon.

"Thanks nii-san!" I babbled, launching myself into his arms to give him a hug. He hugged back, chuckling to himself while trying to balancing the owlish glasses on his face. As we parted, I couldn't help but notice the hidden glare he flashed mother. I frowned but thought nothing of it, especially when there was a gift sitting right in front of me.

My eyes all but gleamed at the wrapping paper as my small hands made way tearing through it. Once the wrapping was gone, I picked up my newly revealed gift...and frowned.

"A book?!" I practically deflated where I sat. Rolling to a stop at my knees were some pretty good looking pencils, but still pencils nonetheless. I stared at Udon, careful to display my whole disappointment with him. He giggled, snot bubble barely falling from his nose, and pushed up his glasses with his pointer finger.

"It's not a book silly!" He picked up the book from my hand and opened it up to the first page, a very blank page. "It's a drawing pad! You know, to draw stuff in!" I stared at him, disappointment long gone from my face, as a memory hit me from my life previous from then. I hadn't been an avid drawer back on earth, more of a doodler of a kind, sketching faces and trees on the sides of notebooks in class. I had gained a bit of praise from classmates of mine, all telling me that I was pretty good, but I never focused my time on it. Now as I looked back on it, I had regretted not focusing any effort towards it.

Maybe in this life I could change it.

To Udon's surprise I took the book out of his hands with a soft smile.

"I guess I'll use it."

More people came over to the house as the day waned, saying their well-wishes and dropping off many more gifts for me to go through. Konohamaru and Moegi showed up as well bearing their own gifts. Konohamaru proudly gave me a wrapped up ninja plush, while Moegi have me coloring supplies to go along with my drawing pad.

There was no actual party and even though I was sad at first, I was still grateful.

At least there were people who actually cared about me.

The next day Udon was left in charge of watching me and despite the smile on his face, I knew he wanted to be with his friends. It was late into the morning, about four hours after our parents left, when I todled my way up the wooden staircase. My legs were getting stronger, allowing me to walk and climb longer distances. However I wasn't satisfied, I wanted the coordination I had before turning into a baby. Unfortunately I wouldn't have that for a long time.

I needed to keep working.

Once I made it up the stairs I crawled the rest of the way over to Udon's room, pushing open the door, which was slightly ajar. I found Udon laying on his futon, eyes focused on the many packets in front of him. A smile rose onto my faces as I crawled over to him. I was bored, and I needed someone to take the time off of me.

"Nii-san!" I chirped, pulling on the hem of his short. Udon paid no mind to me, which only irritated me more.

 _So that's how you wanna play It?_

I wasn't going to be defeated yet, so with a fire in my heart I climbed into his back.

"Nii-san!" I squealed again, pulling at his soft brown hair. Udon winced, arching his head backward as I pulled.

"Owch! Ow! Hey! Knock it off Katsu!" His hand reached back towards me and looped around my shirt. In one swoop he pulled me off of his back before setting me beside him. Sitting up on his knees Udon glared playfully at me.

"What is it? I'm doing work!" Udon asked, pointing at the packets on the sheets. I took one glance at them, before sticking out my tongue in disgust.

 _Ugh, math!_

I cringed, looking at Udon as if he'd lost his mind. Kid's shouldn't be cooped up inside doing school work! Especially when it was summer!

"That looks _boring_!" I emphasized the last word, drawing it out until I felt my point getting across. Udon laughed, ruffling my hair before getting back to work.

I wasn't having it.

"No! Come on! Let's go outside!" I pleaded, pulling at his shirt. Udon had been spending a ton of his time inside of the house. The kid was in some desperate need for sunshine, or he'd turn into an old man right then and there. Udon glanced at me with some uncertainty.

"I don't know, Mom and Dad said you shouldn't..."

"Pretty please!' I stared at him with big shiny eyes. Udon frowned and I smiled, my plan was working.

No one could resist my gaze, not even mother.

I grinned as Udon and I walked down the street, small hand held tightly in the other.

* * *

He cracked like a peanut.

 _Too easy._

We both walked calmly down the quiet road next to a high wooden fence, when a blur hopped into our path.

"Oi Udon!" The voice yelled in excitement. I cringed internally , i knew that voice anywhere. Konohamaru stood up proudly with a wide toothy smile, decked out in his training gear. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just taking Katsu to the park. Mom and Dad are away working." Udon replied, glancing down at me.

"The park?" Konohamaru's nose crinkled in disappointment. "I have a better idea, why don't you follow me over to the ninja training grounds! I can show you my cool shuriken tricks!" He struck a pose, blue scarf fluttering in the air.

"Really?!" Udon exclaimed. The kids eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. He made no doubts towards Konohamaru, instead dragging me along as we made the long tiring trek over to the densely forested area of the village. I stayed propped up on Udon's back for most of the walk, but that didn't mean I wasn't tired, believe me I was. Looking at how little the boys were sweating got me a bit jealous.

 _How in the hell did they have so much endurance?!_

The question stayed in my mind, even as I felt myself being set down on a smooth tree stump. I looked around in curiosity. Numerous targets were nailed to the bodies of trees,all littered by the dents of kunai and shuriken, but never near the center. I frowned in deep thought.

 _So this is where Konohamaru trained, interesting. I never knew he started out this young!_

I really shouldn't have been surprised. After all he was the grandson of the Third Hokage, and weren't his parents members of anbu? I pondered at the thought, half-listening to the explanation Konohamaru was giving Udon about kunai.

"-so watch and learn!" Konohamaru proclaimed as Udon backed up, to give him the space he needed. Spinning the kunai in his hand, Konohamaru focused. He stared at the target with piercing eyes while lowering himself into what I assumed to be a throwing stance. He breathed in carefully, in and out, before-

Woosh!

With a burst of energy the child flung his arm outward, wrist flicking at insane speeds. The kunai cut through the fresh air at an angle, streaking by in only seconds, before finding its home towards the medium circle of the target. Konohamaru was disappointed, I could see it by his slumped posture.

"Let me try it again." He said, twirling another kunai with his fingers. The kunai landed right next to the first one, as did the next, and the next, and the next. No matter how hard Konohamaru tried, he couldn't get a bullseye. It was starting to make him feel frustrated.

"Damn it!"

"Hey!" Udon yelped, running over to cover my ears. I snickered.

 _Damn it is pretty tame for someone of my age, especially after all that I've heard._

I couldn't say my thoughts out loud though, so I kept them to myself, preferring to watch Konohamaru continue to writhe in self-humiliation.

"How about I try?" Udon offered, hand extending to grasp around one of the few kunai on the ground.

"Oh no you don't!" Konohamaru slapped his hand away, giving Udon a playful scowl. "You can't use them! You hardly have any training!"

"Yes I do! You remember the times you taught me the movements, and then that one cool ninja decided to give me a lesson!"

"What "cool" ninja?!" Konohamaru was intrigued.

"I'm not telling." Udon stared back with a cheeky grin. Konohamaru grumbled, until he got a strange glint in his eye.

"Alright, since you won't tell me the easy way, I say we have a bet."

"Bet? What bet?"

"I'll let you throw the kunai, under one condition!" Konohamaru began, holding up his pointer finger. "If you miss, you'll have to tell me who this mystery ninja is! But if you somehow hit the target, I'll stop asking about it." Udon considered Konohamaru's proposition for a minute before smiling, nodding his head in agreement.

"Deal."

I watched Udon picked up a kunai, walking over the short grass to a decent distance away from the target. He exhaled, calming his mind as he prepared to throw. He copied Konohamaru's stance albeit more fluid, as if his nerves had subsided. Udon grunted as he threw the kunai, speed equaling Konohamaru's previous throw. I watched as the kunai flew through the air, before embedding itself into the soft form of the nailed target.

Nearly a bulls-eye.

It took a second for udon to comprehend what just happened, but when he did, he was ecstatic.

"I-I did it. I did it!" Udon beamed, jumping up in down in a victory pose. Konohamaru's mouth hung agape, in shock that his non-ninja friend had somehow bested him. I watched in amusement as he made Udon do it again and again, until it soon morphed into a contest of which could get the most on each target.

Time passed and gradually they became exhausted, meanwhile I had woken up from a light nap. I yawned, rubbing at my eyes when my stomach growled. Udon noticed as well.

"Katsu? You're hungry?" He asked. Konohamaru groaned, emitting a loud grumble from his small gut.

"Man, me too. Oh I know! How about we get dango!" He offered. Udon sniffled up a bubble of snot, clearly not liking Konohamaru's choice of food.

"And with what Konohamaru! We don't have any money! Besides dango isn't even lunch"

"Maybe you don't, but I do!" Konohamaru exclaimed, pulling out a small wad of cash from seemingly nowhere. Udon and I looked wildly at the bills in his hands, not expecting it at all.

"Where did you get that?!"

Konohamaru wouldn't answer and just snickered wildly,waving the bills in the air.

* * *

Dango would become my favorite sweet ever, besides chocolate covered strawberries.

Seriously though, they're killer.

Dango would also become one of the first solid foods I ate, since Udo determined that I had enough teeth to chew and not accidentally choke myself to death. So I ate happily from the skewer as our group of three walked, through the early afternoon rush and back towards home. In the middle of my second bite I felt a strange energy, one that wall filled with gloom and anger. Konohamaru and udon were blissfully unaware, but I sure wasn't. It was very potent, staining the whole atmosphere, and incredibly hard to ignore. My mind became focused, ignoring the delicious treat in my hand to scour the crowds for the source.

It wouldn't be too long before I did.

Dead ahead of us was a young boy, about four years older than Konohamaru and Udon. Even from behind I could tell he was sulking, trudging along as passersby glanced at him with hushed voices. I frowned, looking at the Uchiha crest dead center on his back.

 _It was him. He was alone. That meant..._

"Oi, isn't that the guy..."

"Konohamaru!" Udon hissed in displeasure.

"What? I was just making sure-"

"Sasuke-kun."

Our group quieted, mainly Konohamaru and Udon. I could feel both eyes on me as I silently berated myself for saying his name out loud.

 _Why do you have to be so stupid?!_

Just as I looked up I realized that apparently, Sasuke heard me say his name as well. He was very close, about a foot away, standing still in his tracks. Now I had no idea what compelled him to stay, or turn around, but I nearly shat myself when he's annoyed but confused eyes turned into ones of sheer terror.

"wha...why...does he look...no...NO!" Sasuke nearly screamed.

"Huh?!" I barely got gasp in before I was met with a soft fist to the face. That was the last thing I had expected, who would've thought that I'd given him a PTSD trigger. The punch was strong, surprisingly so for a ten year old, though I really shouldn't have been surprised since...you know.

Ninjas.

My body fell to the ground and my head felt incredibly dizzy, almost like vertigo. I wasn't trying to puke, not yet at least. I tried to get up but I found myself stuck, laying in incredible pain and I felt so frustrated.

I knew I was weak, but not by this much! I growled to myself, I knew I needed to train myself to be better, especially for the events to come. I needed to be better, but first things first.

It wasn't surprising to say that Udon and Konohamaru were shocked by Sasuke's actions, because they were in front of me faster than a blink of an eye. Both of them weren't having it, as was the small crowd gathered around us.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" Konohamaru yelled with his fists clenched in anger, but Sasuke wasn't looking at him or Udon, he was looking directly at me. His skin was pale, as if he'd seen a ghost, which bothered me. Why was he so scared?

Why was he looking at me with those lost and scared eyes?

I wouldn't find the answer, sadly, because in a second Sasuke's mind snapped back to reality and those strange eyes were gone. He blinked, not realizing what exactly transpired. He looked around at Udon, Konohamaru, and the small group of people with a strange look.

"The hell? What's going on here?"

To my surprise, everyone besides me face vaulted to the floor. I guess it doesn't just happen in anime

"What the hell do you mean 'What's going on here'?! You just socked my best friend's brother in the face!" Konohamaru yelled while jumping to his feet. Sasuke glanced over to me and blinked, face still stuck in a frown.

"Huh."

"You can't just say that! Apologize!" Konohamaru's face was getting red with frustration and I couldn't help but smile. Man, I was getting a kick out of this.

"Tch, fine! I'm sorry!" Sasuke sighed, annoyance riddled in his face. "He's just like the yellow idiot..."

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing! I'm going okay! Bye! God damn!" Sasuke turned around, muttering to himself as he disappeared into the distance. Udon helped me up to my feet and I answered softly to the worried bystanders, but what I was focused on was Sasuke. His reaction was...interesting.

Konohamaru crossed his arms in anger, giving Sasuke's retreating from the stink eye. "I never want to see that guy again." I forced myself to hide a smile.

 _If only you knew Konohamaru..._

* * *

 **Phew! Glad that's over!  
**

 **Next chapter will be a short time skip, taking place during the beginning of the original Naruto show. I'm excited to dabble with and mess with the show's timeline, creating my own AU!**

 **So until next time...**

 **Ja Ne~**


	7. Chakra Mishaps and Foxes

**Authors Note: This is a bit on the shorter side, but I wanted to get something out before I focus on my other stories. I enjoy writing about the bonds Konohamaru has with his friends Udon and Moegi, and I hope to give them more character as I continue. I'm still trying to figure out their personalities, especially Udon's and Moegi's. Hopefully everything will turn out good in the end though.**

 **So enjoy!**

* * *

I was about three when I started messing around with chakra. However I knew that I couldn't be seen doing it, otherwise, mother would have a fit. So I put myself in seclusion.

I started meditating, trying to at least to get a feel for my own chakra. It was hard. Not to mention with all the other chakras around me. The sensations were overwhelming, prickling at my skin and giving me a nasty itch. I also noticed that the same itch would occur on a daily basis and now that I look back on it, I'd never known how I tolerated it for so long. It was soon after that that I made the assumption that I was chakra sensitive, I mean it seemed incredibly obvious, at least to me.

I had the urge to tell my parents what was going on but, any mention of chakra to mother would instantly put her in a mood. Which was strange since she finally allowed Udon to attend Shinobi Academy at the beginning of the new year. The decision filled Udon's heart with joy, and I was happy for him. Yet in the back of my mind, I was worried, I didn't want him to be caught up in the hype of it. He needed to focus in order to make it and from my knowledge, the Academy was no joke.

Fortunately, Udon exceeded my silent expectations. For all of my snooping, I gathered that he was incredibly smart, especially in the mathematics. So much so that they moved him up, right into Konohamaru and Moegi's class. He caught up fast and even ranked high in the class rankings. It was then when my pride for my brother grew. But I knew that I needed to get stronger, it was the only way I could survive the coming events.

I stared at the small leaf in my hands with determination, gathering my attention to the present. Mother and father were out, and Udon was cooped up in his room studying. Seeing that there was no one to disturb me, I decided that this would be the perfect time to test it out. The evening light spilled in through the cracks of my bedroom's shades, casting their orange glow against the walls of my room. The natural light and overarching shadows put my mind at ease, making it easier for me to concentrate. I had only seen the leaf concentration technique once, and that was in a flashback in one of the earlier Naruto episodes. However, the basic concept was easy to understand. You just direct your chakra to the leaf in order to make it stick, easy chakra control.

Or so I thought.

I inhaled deeply, calming my nerves as I placed the leaf on my forehead, on top of my bangs. I held it there and closed my eyes, trying mentally to guide my chakra towards its right destination. I felt a tingling sensation as it pooled around the leaf, and when I felt comfortable enough I let go. My eyes stayed closed for a few seconds before I let them open, slowly. I expected to see the leaf tumble off of my head but no, there it was, stuck perfectly on top of my ragged bangs.

I felt myself smile, excitement rushing through my veins, my first attempt had been a success!

Unfortunately, my excitement was my own downfall. I became unfocused and therefore, overloaded my chakra into one specific point.

Causing a backlash

There was a strange sound that was loud and concussive, throwing me into my back in seconds. My scream was short, high-pitched and incredibly embarrassing. However, it was only when I saw a red liquid trail down my nose to my mouth when I became concerned.

It tasted metallic and salty. My eyes widened. I was bleeding, and bleeding bad.

The door to my room busted open before I could do anything.

"Katsu!" Udon yelled, voice full of worry. I felt him by my side in an instant, gathering me up in his small arms. It felt like his voice was in deep water, constantly being rippled and distorted to a degree that made it hard to hear. My head spun and my mouth sputtered out incoherent words.

God, it hurt to even speak!

"M-My head..." I croaked out.

"God, what did you- a leaf?!" I could see the blurry image of Udon pick up the leaf into his fingers. He took one look at it before turning sharply to me.

"How did you know about this?" Udon demanded. He instantly made the connection, faster than I could have thought. Even though I was in pain, I scrambled to come up with an answer. I couldn't tell him that I knew because of a past life, he'd think I was insane. So with a shaky voice, I said the first thing that popped up in my head.

"-your notes. I-I looked." I managed. I watched his face, expecting him to see right through me. However, his expression morphed into a tired smile. It was a strange thing to look at. Udon's glasses were fogged up, and with the usual snot bubble, he looked incredibly stupid. But I was into much pain to laugh.

"If you wanted to learn about chakra, you should've asked." He sighed.

"Sorry."

Udon sighed before getting up to his feet, with me cradled in his arms. He sniffed up his stuffy nose as he walked out of my room.

"It's fine. Now let's get that wound of yours fixed."

* * *

Mother and father were extremely concerned when they returned later that evening. Thanks to Udon, he covered for me, saving me from a lifetime of punishment. Over the months the injury healed and I got a nasty scar on my forehead as a result. It hurt and itched like a bitch for a few days, but looking at it through a mirror, I realized it had taken the shape of a really fat jagged line.

Like a lightning bolt.

I smiled to myself, thinking about a black-haired wizard with Udon's incredibly round glasses. I wondered if it were possible to be reincarnated in that world? I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. But I couldn't turn back from where I already was, doing so meant dying, and I didn't feel like kicking the bucket anytime soon.

"I'm home!" Udon's voice rang out from front door downstairs. I smiled, hopping off of the stool I stood on to go and greet my brother.

"Nii-san!" I chirped as I rushed down the staircase. Udon spared a glance at me while tossing his backpack on the sofa. He was too tired to even hug me properly as I squeezed my arms around his waist.

"Hey! S-stop! I'm sore!" Udon winced, trying to pull away from my iron grip. I held on for a bit longer to mess with him before finally letting go, watching him crash down into the cushions of the sofa. Udon groaned in discomfort and I puffed up my cheeks in mock disappointment, crossing my arms for good measure.

"Does this mean you're not going to teach me ninjutsu?"

Udon scoffed before turning his head to get a good look at me. "How could I possibly teach you ninjutsu?! You don't even have chakra control down, not to mention that I only know a few basic jutsu!" I hummed in consideration.

"Can you still teach me hand seals?"

Udon groaned, again.

"Not now, I have homework to do! But maybe later. Kay?" Udon turned his eyes back towards me, with a face that pleaded with me to leave him alone. I stared at him for a solid minute before smiling.

"Deal!"

* * *

"Aww! Udon you never told me that your brother was this cute!" A girlish squeal erupted from an orange pigtailed girl about an inch shorter than Konohamaru, who was silently snickering in the background. Udon had taken me to a shinobi training area to watch him practice shuriken, who would've thought that we'd seen Moegi and Konohamaru at the same place. Moegi was pleasantly surprised, but Konohamaru looked like he didn't want to be there. I had never met Moegi personally, only heard Udon and Konohamaru talk about her occasionally. Her orange hair was in two small pigtails, smaller than the ones she had when she was first introduced in the series. Her two pointer fingers and thumbs were targeting my cheeks. They pinched and pulled, making my cheeks sting and red in embarrassment.

This girl was going to pay, dearly.

"Moegi, that's not a good idea!" Udon warned, watching as my eyes darkened. Moegi wasn't listening, too preoccupied with my fat cheeks to heed the warning signs. She paid the price for it.

"OW!" My baby teeth showed no mercy as I clamped down on her right pointer finger. Moegi's scream was mixed with surprise and shock, grabbing a fist full of my dark hair as she tried to pull me off. After five desperate pulls, I reluctantly let go and watched with a hidden smirk as Moegi nursed her injured finger.

"Told you," Udon said in the background, but Moegi ignored him. I watched warily as she turned her attention back to me, and let me tell you...

She was livid.

"Why you STUPID LITTLE BRAT I OUTTA!-" Moegi's personality shifted, along with her chakra, to an unstable anger. I gasped, backing up, making a stark parallel between her and Sakura. It took both Konohamaru and Udon to hold her back to keep her from getting to me, and I was grateful. I didn't want to become a punching bag, not like Naruto.

"Moegi calm down! He's only three!" Udon pleaded.

" Yeah! Have some self-control!" Konohamaru grunted, after taking an elbow to the gut. Moegi glared back at him.

"Heh! You're the one to talk!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT!"

I watched in amazement as Konohamaru ripped Moegi out of Udon's grasp, spinnig her around before slammed her into the grassy earth below. His knee and hand were on Moegi's back and head before she could do anything, pushing her face further into the grass. Konohamaru's other hand held up her left arm, stretching it uncomfortably Moegi struggled underneath him for a bit before Konohamaru pulled slightly, bringing out a yelp of pain from her lips.

"Alright! Alright! I give!" Moegi cried. Konohamaru got up quickly letting Moegi have room to breath. I stared at them for a long time, unnerved by Konohamaru's actions. I knew that Konohamaru was a ninja in training but, the switch in mentality was too fast for me to keep up with. It was like a totally different person took over his body!

A drop of sweat rolled down the side of my cheek as I felt the atmosphere shift, back into the usually happy-go-lucky mood, and I sighed with relief. Moegi, Konohamaru, and Udon were laughing, like any of the events previously never happened! I felt the urge to face-vault onto the floor, but I had to remember that the Academy students were no joke, no matter how young or stupid they may seem.

"So Moegi, why'd you drag me out here again?" Konohamaru asked as he sat down on a stump close by. Moegi huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Don't you remember?! We're supposed to be practicing our shuriken throws!"

Konohamaru huffed, sticking out his tongue in exaggerated disgust. "Eww, That's boring!" Moegi growled as she folded her arms. Her eyes screamed annoyance.

"Well, you pouting isn't going to make it any better! Konohamaru, we're gonna be tested on it two days from now!" Moegi whined. Konohamaru wasn't budging, sitting on the stump with his nose turned up into the air, until an idea hit him.

"Hey!" He began, "Why don't we spar!"

"Konohamaru I don't know abou-"

"Sparing?! You mean like an actual ninja fight!" I interrupted Udon, feigning excitement. It wasn't that I didn't want to see them fight, far from it, this would be my first taste of seeing combat first hand in this world.

Udon pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Ok"

I smiled. _That's the response I wanted._

* * *

After watching them go at it for about ten minutes, I came to the conclusion that Konohamaru sucked.

In fact, he was utterly atrocious.

In the anime and manga, he was mentioned to be at the bottom of the barrel in his class, before Naruto came and smacked some sense into him, but I didn't think it would have been this bad.

He was getting tag-teamed by Udon and Moegi!

"Hey!" Konohamaru yelled, rolling to a stop on the grass. "You guys can't just make alliances outta nowhere!" Moegi stuck her tongue out at him.

"We're not in the Academy now dunderhead! Besides-" Moegi grinned devilishly, somehow brandishing six shurikens in between her fingers. "I'm kinda mad at you for earlier." She gave him no time to respond, flinging the shuriken with the fluid swipe of her two arms. The shuriken sliced through the air with precision, heading right for their target, who was scrambling to get away.

"WAH!"

Konohamaru was quick on his feet, and flexible too. Bending and jumping out if the way if the flying pieces of metal. He was doing well until the last one hit him dead center on his helmet. I gasped, watching him fall back onto the ground. Moegi and Udon were too shocked to say anything, and were about to rush over when-

"THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!" Konohamaru shot up, face red with anger. The shuriken had only pierced the helmet and nothing more.

 _What a relief._

"Are you trying to kill me?!" He growled as he hopped onto his feet, shuriken unlodging itself from its place to the grassy floor.

"No, you were just too slow to dodge," I answered.

"Shut up brat!" Konohamaru barked. Turning his attention back to his main problem, Konohamaru brandished six shurikens of his own with a devilish glint in his eyes.

"Let's see how you like it!" He yelled before breaking into a run. He was like a bullet, shooting forward until he stomped on the ground, pushing himself up into the air. With a smirk he spun, flinging shuriken wildly at his targets, in secret hopes that one would make contact. Udon and Moegi were quick to dodge but it looked unnecessary, especially when the shuriken embedded themselves awkwardly into trees ten feet away from them. I stifled a laugh, realizing that this was probably the reason Konohamaru didn't want to practice shuriken.

His aim was nonexistent.

This didn't phase him in the slightest since he still had that stupid grin on his face.

"You're wide open!" Konohamaru landed in front of Moegi with his fist clenched. The punch was fast but not as fast as Moegi's reflexes. She used her left arm to block before using her right palm to slam him in the nose. The blow knocked Konohamaru back a foot, right into Udon's path. Excitement bubbled into my chest as I watched Udon begin to engage.

"Kick his butt, Nii-san!" I shouted.

"Hey! No-oompf" Konohamaru yelled to distracted by my yell to see Udon's fist fly into his cheek. It dazed him for a second, but with a shake of his head, Konohamaru was back in action.

"Why you!-" He growled. Konohamaru's fists flew in an uncoordinated and sloppy manner, like a bastardization of the supposed Academy style combat I'd heard so much about. Udon managed to dodge many punches and kicks, minus the knick to his face that caused his glasses to go flying. Udon screamed, snot bubble dripping down, as he flung himself after them. Knowing mother she would kill him if she found out his glasses were broken, those had been his fifth pair. Luckily for Udon, the glasses only had a slight scratch on them.

Moegi's determined yell tore my gaze from my brother, and I watched as she delivered a mighty blow to the back of Konohamaru's head. His scream was loud and comedic, similar to the anime. I watched with amusement as he rolled around on the ground, rubbing the sore spot on his head that was still protected by his helmet. With a coy smile, Moegi looked over to Udon, then back at Konohamaru, before doing a peace sign with her fingers.

"Looks like I won!" She laughed. Konohamaru shot back up, hands still holding his head.

"What do ya mean "I won!"? He mimicked. "That was totally unfair!"

"Deal with it! You're the one who started this whole thing!"

"It's not my fault you've got a crappy temper!"

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE TALKING!"

"Oh shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"Shut up!"

The two continued to bicker, generating a sigh from my chest. If we weren't careful they might go at it all night, and I didn't want to wait that long. So in desperation, I turned to Udon, who was watching the screaming match with worry.

"Nii-san can you stop them?" I asked. I watched Udon as he shot me a glance before watching Moegi and Konohamaru for a few seconds. He chewed on his lip, as if deep in thought, before hopping to his feet with his glasses pushed up the bridge of his nose.

"I'll try." He muttered to himself. Udon neared the duo with uncertainty. Biting his lip, he lifted his hands to signal that he meant no harm. He took a deep breath.

"Guys can you-" Udon never made it through the whole sentence, stopping only because of two fists crashing into his face, right on his glasses.

"NOT NOW UDON!" Both Konohamaru and Moegi yelled in unison, paying no mind to their fallen friend three feet away. The broken remnants of his glasses laid a few inches away from his face, with only the frame left to tell the tale. The broken glass was on his face, but luckily none of it slipped into his eyes. I was quickly by his side, wiping away the shards until his small hand grabbed onto my wrist.

"Don't! You could cut yourself!"

I puffed my cheeks but said nothing. When it came to arguing, my brother was a rock wall. "Fine." I complied. I watched as Udon sat up, snotty nose now mixed with blood, as he picked up the remains of his glasses. Udon's head slumped down with shame.

"Okaa-san's gonna kill me." He mourned. I frowned, ignoring the annoying screams in the background, thinking of a way to cheer him up. Not a second later an idea popped up. With a smile, I leaned closer towards Udon.

"Dango?" My eyes perked up as I stared at his. The look he gave me made it obvious that he was tired of my shit, and the flick to my forehead only cemented that idea. I winced, puffing up my cheeks as he got up onto his feet.

"But dango makes everything better!"

* * *

Udon was right, mother was pissed. Not at the glasses, but at the bloody and bruised nose that stained his face. She always had a slight disapproval of Konohamaru and Moegi but seeing this seemed to have deepened the sentiment. I frowned, watching her berate Udon while tending to the injury from the bathroom door. Didn't she know what Her son was up against?! Didn't she know how students at the Academy were trained?! It should have been expected that he'd come home with bruises and cuts.

But I digress.

Since then mother became more watchful over Udon, more than was necessary since her kid was attending a Ninja School. I knew that my opinion wouldn't matter since I was technically a three-year-old, and three-year-olds hardly had a say in anything. Unless they were a genius and graduated the Academy by then. With the constant pressure with mother and the intense school work, Udon degraded back into his old silent personality. Constantly holding in his negative emotions in place.

He also tended to stay longer inside the academy once school was over, which was problematic when Mother went to pick him up. I remember vividly the loud arguments between the two when they returned home. Both picking at each of their own weaknesses until it was broken off by father. Honestly, I almost assumed that mother hated Udon, but the small glint of worry in her eyes always brought me back to reality. She actually cared for her son, she just had a strange way of showing it.

That didn't override her terrible ignorance and temper. I got to experience it full force when she took me to the academy on the Twenty-second of January. Time ticked by as the flood of kids dashed out of the large wooden gates. One minute, three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes and still no sign of Udon. Mother's grip on my hand was unusually strong, and by the twitching of her eyebrow, I could tell that she wasn't having it.

"Stay right here Katsu." She commanded, snapping her brown eyes down at me. I gulped, not used to that terrifying look, and nodded.

"Okay."

Her lips turned upward into a small smile before she turned her attention forward with determination, marching off with a purpose. As her figure retreated into the school, I sighed with relief.

Her chakra was suffocating me.

Hushed whispers gained my attention from the small group of kids about five feet away. They were all shooting glances to something sitting at the tree covered area some five yards away. My eyes followed their gaze and when I made contact, my heart sunk. There sitting forlornly on the lonely wooden swing, was Uzumaki Naruto orange jumpsuit and all. His blue eyes hung heavy as he looked out into the crowd of happy children, where some had fresh bluehead bands. My eyes widened and the gears in my head clicked with recognition.

 _Wasn't today the Academy Graduation Exam? Then that means..._

"I heard that this's his second time failing!" A dark orange haired genin muttered.

"I'm not surprised if he's anything like the rumors say."

"What an idiot!"

I glowered at them, but I had to realize that they didn't know any better. If what I saw in the anime was true, then their parents must have planted ideas in their heads.

Just like how my parents tried to do with Udon and me.

It was like my body moved on its own because I was heading towards him. I could feel eyes on me as I made my way, but I wouldn't let them deter me. Naruto was deep in his own thoughts because even though I was in front of him, his blue eyes stared right through me.

It was like he was in a trance.

"Hey! Are you okay?" I asked. There was no answer. I was adamant this time, poking him on the shoulder. No answer. I puffed up my cheeks in annoyance.

How was I going to get his attention?

I contemplated for a few seconds before an idea dawned on me. A wicked smile dawned on me.

This was definitely going to work. I inhaled a large amount of air.

"ICHIRAKU RAMEN IS THE WORST!" I yelled. My words echoed for a bit, and I was beginning to lose hope until the fire returned into Naruto's eyes.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

I gulped, regretting my decision beforehand. Naruto's hands were on me faster than lightning. Bunching up my collar he pulled me close, staring straight into my soul.

"I don't know what's gotten into your head but Ichiraku Ramen is the BEST IN THE WORLD!" He growled with his voice laced with anger. I started to sweat, his chakra was overwhelming, suffocating me more than mother's was. My chest started to sting, and I was hyperventilating. I knew this wasn't going to end well unless I did something about it.

"Please stop! You're hurting me!"I pleaded, wincing as his nail started to dig into my skin. It took a second, but something changed in his eyes. He released his hands from me, letting me drop to the floor, and I tried to regain my composure as I stared back up at him. I had never gotten someone so angry before, if I didn't know any better I would have assumed that he'd want to kill me right there.

"S-sorry," I stammered. "You were staring and I just wanted to get your attention."

"... _My attention_?" Naruto questioned, giving me a look as if I'd grown two heads. "Why'd you want to do that?" I wanted to facepalm right there. He wasn't totally stupid, Naruto knew that no one in their right mind would want to actively have a conversation with him, especially if they were a civilian. Luckily, I had a reason to give him.

"You looked lonely," I stated firmly. Naruto just stared at me, from the look in his eyes I could tell that he was thinking, and thinking hard. He squinted his eyes in suspicion.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Three, but I'm gonna be four in July!" I answered honestly. "How about you?" Naruto seemed to be taken aback by my openness, because when he answered his face morphed into that iconic smile that I knew very well.

"Eleven!" Naruto beamed. I smiled back, but it didn't reach my eyes.

 _Eleven huh? That means that in less than a year...the timeline will start._

"KATSU!" Mother's voice yelled, and by the tone, I could tell that she wasn't happy with me. I quickly said goodbye to Naruto before running off to meet Mother, with a blank-faced Udon by her side. I saw him cast a curious glance at Naruto, but was quickly pulled away as Mother began to walk towards the gates. Once I was by them she looked at me, not stopping as we exited the grounds. Her dark brown eyes stared hard at mine.

"We're going to have a nice chat when we get home, **both** of you." She strained. Udon and I blanched, this year was getting off to a terrible start.

It would only get worse.

* * *

 **Im finally** **done with this chapter! Next chapter is when the actuall Naruto Timeline gets started and I can't wait for my planned events to unfold!**

 **So until then...**

 **Ja ne~**


	8. Snake Shudders and Bad Memories

**Author's Note: So this chapter turned out completely different from what I started out with. I guess the writing process worked out in my favor. I focused more on the family dynamics and a bit of made up backstory on Udon's family. Hope you all like!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Six months had passed since my second meeting with Naruto, and my paranoia had only grown exponentially. Knowing that the events of the main story were on their way was awful. It was made only worse since of my weak body and age. I had a life and I really didn't want it to end, not that quickly. The hot July air was tolerable, but the sun nearly killed. I had heard of several cases of heat stroke that first week alone, and I was not pleased when mother thought that I'd be a good idea to take me outside. It was a short shopping spree, but one that nearly had me melting on the spot. Each step I took was warm an uncomfortable, and I knew that if I didn't have something cool that I would fry.

So when I saw a shaded spot I was quick to run.

"Katsu be careful!" Mother yelled. I ignored her, running towards the shade with glee. However all that excitement got me so distracted, that I didn't see tall mass coming. The impact was hard, and I bounced off with a startled grunt to the ground. Dust kicked up into the air as I shook my head.

That was embarrassing.

I heard Mother's quick footsteps as she neared me from my position on the ground. The solid wall of flesh in front of me was hard and as I opened my eyes, I pushed myself up to get a look at the unsuspecting bystander. I winced, ready with an apology at the tip of my tongue, only to stop and stare with an opened mouth. There in front of me was a fair skinned hand, connected to a body with dark purple clothing. He had black rimmed glasses, ash-gray hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, a forehead protector was tied tightly against head. He smiled sheepishly, black eyes glinting happily in the sunlight, while my black eyes widened with fear.

I knew that face all too well.

"Are you alright?" A young Kabuto Yakushi asked politely. If I didn't know any better, I would have gladly taken his hand. But I wasn't stupid, I knew what he truly was behind that kind mask. That didn't mean he had to realize it.

If he saw the brief fear in my eyes, he didn't show it. Instead, he kept that same facade, happily pulling me to my feet, just as mother ran up to check on me. I saw her shoot a suspicious glance at the boy before pulling me close. With a smile she apologized for my behavior, chalking up to the excuse that I was shy to strangers. With a forceful push, she scooted me away from him and down the dirt road, but I couldn't help but notice the sly smile on Kabuto's lips out of the corner of my eye.

That wasn't good.

Kabuto. Out of all the people I could have run into, it had to be him! Anger and despair pooled deep into my stomach as the image of his smirk reappeared in my mind. What had caused him to act this way? Why did he find some sort of satisfaction from seeing me? I didn't know and I wouldn't find out.

Well, until later.

But my thoughts then were still fixed on him, and no amount of dango could have calmed me down. I held onto the skewer with a frown on my face.

The reason for Kabuto's sudden appearance would make itself known about a week later. The chunin exams the chunin exams had begun. Even though they were held in The Hidden Village of the Mist I suspected that he was getting ready for his trip over there. Even then I could still hear talk about the chunin exams that were to start a year later, the one that would jointly be held by Konoha and the Sand. My stomach churned with anxiety, already knowing the horrible implications of such an event. The Third Hokage would wind up dead, killed by that pedophile snake. And Sasuke would...

A shudder went through my body when the image of Orochimaru appeared in my head, knowing now that he was a real being only heightened my disgust for him. I had to come to the realization that there wasn't anything I could do to stop Sasuke from walking down that path of destruction. After all, it was a path he was destined to take. But I knew that I had to at least do something, my pride wouldn't allow me to fail.  
That's why I found myself silently stalking the raven haired boy one late August afternoon. I never exactly thought any of my actions through, in fact, I was going into this blind. However, I had a feeling that this would be one of my only chances to get this close to him. Besides, I was curious about my early encounter with him.

Why was he so shocked by me?

The question lingered in my mind as I quietly tip toed about fifteen feet away from the trudging boy, who was two blocks away from the village had the same duck butt hair and the same high collared shirt, although this time it was black this time. In his right hand was a half eaten red bean and hanging limply in the other was a bag of sweets. As I followed him further into the park I caught the glimpse of other children, all ranging from my age to about Sasuke's. From the kyaas of the older girls, I put two and two together that they probably were apart of his class.

I was persistent, ignoring the annoying fangirls as I snuck by, before watching Sasuke sit idly by the small lake. I looked around, noticing the sudden feeling deja vu before I realized that I had seen this same lake during a flashback episode. My heart raced as I watched him eat. I wanted to go up to him but, for some reason, my feet were rooted to the grassy ground.

Luckily I was given an excuse.

"I know you're there." HIs voice held no emotion, except for a large amount of annoyance. I stilled, this kid was good. He'd noticed me following him even after all the things I did to keep myself under wraps. But I shouldn't have been surprised, he was Sasuke after all.

"Don't make me get up." The warning, although said lazily, had the underlying emotion of determination. He was serious. So to end any other suspicion he had, I reluctantly stepped out from behind the tree. I watched him turn his head so that one eye side glanced at me. I hid from the analytical gaze, glancing downward at the dirt path.

"What do you want?" He asked, and I struggled to come up with an answer. I mean, how was I actually supposed to respond. That I wanted to try in some way to stop you from going after your brother? That I wanted to try and keep you away from a perverted snake's clutches? None of those would have been good answers. In fact, I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd thought that I was some crazy child.

But apparently, he figured out something else.

"Here," He began. I looked up warily, watching him stick his free hand into the plastic. With wide eyes, I watched as he produced a tri-colored dango from a take-out case. He turned fully, shoving it out in my direction as if it was a peace offering. I stared at him dumbfounded.

What was his deal?

The Sasuke there was different, very different from his anime counterpart. The emotion in his eyes wasn't the darkness that I'd expected. In fact, it was more of reluctance..with a hint sadness? I guess my lack of movement annoyed him.

"This's what you want, right?" He raised a singular eyebrow as if expecting a quick answer. I sputtered in embarrassment, squeezing the blue yukata in my small hands. I nodded after a slight hesitation and waited before Sasuke beckoned me over with the dango in his hand. I walked over and carefully took the dango from his hand, munching on it quietly. Sasuke's onyx eyes watched me carefully and the silence between us made me figure that he wanted to say something. But instead, he patted the ground next to him, a signal for me to sit. And I did, quickly. We both sat like that for a while, me eating the dango, and Sasuke finishing up his red bean bun. During that time, thoughts were flying wildly through my head.

This wasn't how I expected it to go down but it was a start. I was grateful for the quiet time with him, but it was sadly cut short.

"Ehh? So the loner's finally made a friend? Who would've thought that it'd be a tiny brat!" A snooty voice broke the awkward silence between us. I looked over my shoulder and glared, seeing a group of boys, around Sasuke's age, approach us. From Sasuke's annoyed scoff it was clear to me that they were in the same class, and that they had some serious beef with the raven haired boy. I couldn't say that I blamed them after all Uchihas have gotten the major spotlight in every academy class they were in. They alway got the grades and the girls, some things that every boy in the class envied them for.

But it still didn't give them the right to pick on him, no matter how self-centered or arrogant Sasuke acted. I puffed up my cheeks and was about to make a snarky comeback when a loud voice tore through the air.

"YOU LEAVE SASUKE-KUN ALONE!"

The skin over every boy around us, including Sasuke's, paled three shades. I looked over to the right to see a steaming Ino and Sakura march with vigor, right towards the large group. They looked nearly identical to their anime appearances, in fact, the only things that differed were the change of clothing. Ino wore a light purple sleeveless shirt and dark shorts that resembled leggings, clinging tightly to her thighs and stopping just above her knees. I frowned, those were clothes that no twelve years old should have been wearing. Luckily Sakura was more reserved than her. She still wore that red bow in her cherry blossom hair and had a shirt that resembled her red dress she would usually be. The black skirt was two inches above her knees and complemented the red shirt and black sandals she wore. Over all, they looked well, and both were fired up when they made it feet away from the group of boys. Now the boys were obviously scared, but even so, the main boy walked up to meet the two. He had balls, I'd tell you that. But that was really it.  
"What was that?" He asked, crossing his arms like he owned the place. Ino put her hands on her hips and stomach over so that she was right on his face.

"I said leave my Sasuke-kun alone." She growled.

"Your Sasuke?" Sakura blurted out, clearly outraged.

"Not now!" Ino fired back. The boy laughed, bringing duo's attention back towards him.

"Oh? And what are you and forehead gonna do about it?" He chided. I guess in his mind the remark sounded cool, but to his friends, it was a death sentence. I closed my eyes and shook my head. He deserved what was about to happen to him.

"SHAANNARO! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU CALL ME?!" Sakura growled like a violent bear. I could feel the impact of the punch as much as I could hear it. When I opened my eyes I saw the poor boy fly into the cold water, knocked out. The rest of the boys jumped back in comic fear, right as Sakura stomped one foot forward.

"M-Monster!" One yelled, causing all of them to scatter like cockroaches. I watched in disappointment as they ran, ashamed that they would leave their friend like that to scramble out of the water himself. He did quickly, shaking his matted hair so that water sprayed everywhere. He met Sakura's eyes for a split second before booking it with the rest of the crowd. Sakura continued to spout profanities at them, and once they were gone, Ino put a hand on her shoulder.

"That's enough Sakura! They're gone!" She said. Sakura shrugged the hand away, before quickly doing a one-eighty to coo at Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun! They didn't hurt you did they?"

"Sakura really?! Do you KNOW who you're talking to?!" Ino chided back, slapping Sakura on the back of the head. Sakura wasn't happy.

"Get your hands off of me INO PIG!"

"BILLBOARD BROW!"

"Enough," Sasuke called out, not even looking back at the two girls. I watched in amazement as they both blushed.

"S-Sorry Sasuke-kun." They apologized, simultaneously. I nearly gagged. Their love for him was sickening, permitting the air with its overbearing stench. This puppy love of theirs needed to go and go quick before I drowned in it.

"Sasu-san, who are they?" I asked, twirling the dango skewer in between my fingers. Sasuke glanced at me with a bored expression.

"They're from my class." He explained, vague as ever. I looked back at the two girls and almost jumped, finding the girls closer to me and giving me ogling eyes.

"Oh my goodness! Sasuke-kun who is he!"

"He's so cute!"

Their enthusiasm was suffocating, so I tried to direct my attention to the small lake as fingers found their way to my cheeks.

It was then when I fully grasped Sasuke's annoyance towards Sakura and Ino. So troublesome. I looked at Sasuke with pleading eyes as pinched fingers pulled at my cheeks. I could have sworn that I'd seen a smile on his lips. But it didn't last too long, as it seemed that he'd took pity on me.

"Leave him alone," Sasuke stated. "He was following me around, so I gave him dango."

"Ehh?! I guess Sasuke's charms affect everyone!" Sakura commented while looking at me. She crouched to my eye level and smiled warmly. "Where are your parents?" She blatantly asked. I stiffened remembering mother and father. They're probably pissed off by now, worried, or both. I had no idea what punishment they would bring down on me, nor did I want to find out. I shot up onto my feet, much to the surprise of Sakura and Ino, frantically looking at nothing in particular.

"I gotta go!" I babbled, before breaking into a run. But I didn't get very far, only twenty feet away when I realized that I had no idea how to get back. I stopped in my tracks, turning around slowly with my head hanging low. I was done for, and when mother found me I was surely going to die.

"You have no idea how to get back, do you?" Sasuke stated more than asked. A blush spread across my face as I nodded with complete embarrassment.

"Fine." Sasuke sighed, hopping to his feet. "I'll take you back."

"Sasuke-kun?!" Ino blurted out, bewildered as I was. I stared at him in shock, wondering who was this stranger, and where they'd taken the real Sasuke.

Because I was sure that this thing wasn't him.

Sasuke glanced at the three of us in confusion. Then the confusion contorted in annoyance, then anger.

"Please don't tell me that you all think that I'm seriously that I'm that careless do you?"

The three of us looked away, though Ino and Sakura blushed profusely.

"Wow, I'm done." Sasuke spat, turning away from all of us in disdain. Once the anger faded away, he gave me a side look. "Come on..."

"Katsu," I answered, noticing the drawn out gap.

"Yeah Katsu, let's get outta here," Sasuke said, walking away with one hand in his pocket. I snagged a brief glance at the two girls before running after the boy's fading form.

"So kind!"

That squeal was the last I would hear from the two girls for a while.

The talk between Sasuke and my parents was strange at best. It was a brief exchange but filled with looks that held a much deeper, and lengthier meaning. I watched them with confused eyes as the conversation ended and as Sasuke gave one last thoughtful look at me. When the door closed the thoughts finally set in.

That was strange.

"Young man!" Mother's voice was sweet, overbearingly sweet. I tensed paling as I turned to see the fumed stares of mother and father. I could see Udon from the corner of my eye, watching the inevitable scene unfold from the living room doorway. I gave him a pleading look, but it all was in vain.

"Oh no! Your brother isn't going to save you now!" Mother's hand grabbed my shoulder, spinning me around to face my doom. I huffed in defeat.

"You're in so much trouble!"

* * *

I was grounded. Sentenced to stay in the house and not to see the light of day for the next month. Udon took pity on me and managed to sneak in a skewer of dango every once and awhile. I was thankful to him for that. But while I was under my unrighteous prison sentence, I thought about many, many things.

Kabuto's strange smirk still stuck in my mind. The image came back and for a vengeance, gnawing at my thoughts and fears, making me stay awake at night. There was this sense of a foreboding energy that filled me and it wouldn't leave me alone, no matter how hard I tried.

I was getting desperate.

So to fill time, I focused religiously on training my chakra. I messed with it, channeling it to different parts of my body in hopes of sticking myself to the walls. It worked every so often, but most of the time I would fall flat on my face. That wouldn't stop me, and by the time the second week ended, I had it nearly down packed. However, it was on a Monday when I tried out something different: Wall walking.

I was staring at the wall, facing away from the door to my room, with extra concentration. Out of all the exercises I've done, this had been the hardest. Luckily for me I didn't blow holes into my wall like Sasuke had done to that tree, or else my parents would have a fit. But I was hesitant about it, pooling not enough chakra into the soles of my feet, making me become like Naruto and falling back onto my head. But I quickly grew out of it and with each try, I became more confident in my abilities. Unfortunately, just as I became more confident with my abilities, the less my excuses were believed by my parents. I should've expected this, they weren't stupid. But It wasn't going to stop me, not when I was so close getting this right.

"I can do this..." I told myself, waving the single hand seal I remembered from the show. My eyebrow twitched as I felt my chakra pool down into the concentrated spots of my feet. The soles of my feet pulsed making every nerve restless as the chakra invade the area. I held a breath in as I waited, waited for the precise amount before...

Now!

My eyes snapped open and I charged straight towards the wall. My heart raced as my right foot came in contact. In that split second between my first and second foot, I felt the chakra take hold of the wall. A smile graced my lips as I continued. It was working. I continued up the wall until I became a bit more daring, and walked on the ceiling right up to the ceiling fan the middle. My heart beat incredibly fast as I stood there, worried that the chakra's grip would loosen, but it never came. A minute passed and then two, all the while a giddy smile graced my lips. I had done it, I had actually done it!

"Woohoo!" I cheered, shooting my hands up, actually down into the air. However, my celebration was interrupted by the forceful opening of my bedroom door.

"What's going on-Oh my GOD!" Father barged in with an annoyed look only to be transfixed in disbelief and shook, as he witnessed my standing on the ceiling. The sudden appearance of my father surprised me, so much so that I lost my footing and the chakra released me to the floor below. I screamed, expecting my head to be in a tremendous amount of pain, only to feel the impact to two fleshy appendages digging into my back, sides, and legs. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes to see the angry but relieved eyes of my father. It was obvious that he was going to tell mother, but to lighten the mood I laughed sheepishly and poked my fingers together, admitting my wrongdoings.

I had expected him to be mad and rightfully so, I betrayed their trust, but surprisingly he had mercy. Instead of yelling at me he sighed, shaking his head but giving me a reluctant smile.

"You're gonna keep doing this no matter how hard we tell you otherwise, huh?" His statement caught me by surprise but followed quickly with a nod. Father sighed again, tightening his grip on my small body.

"You're just like your grandfather." He muttered though it wasn't quiet at all. I blinked, this was the first time I had ever heard of my grandparents. Strangely enough, now that I thought about it, my parents never really talked about them. Since the moment was in my hands, I worked up the courage to ask.

"What were they like?"

My eyes bore into father's, waiting and almost drawing out the answer from behind his thin lips. He looked away from me as if trying to find the words to say.

"Well...your grandfather was a wealthy man, born into a family of well-known traders and merchants. He was persistent, spoiled and lived in a small bubble, that is until your grandmother came into a picture. She was a young kunoichi, just like your mother's mother, and met your grandfather when her team was sent to protect him and his father. It was their first meeting, but he was instantly in love. Though the love wasn't quite returned. In fact, your grandfather went through years of trying to woo your grandmother, until her twentieth birthday, when she gave in. They married five years later and soon I was born. But..." Father went silent, emotions storming in his eyes. I pressed.

"But what?" I asked anticipation at it's peak. Father looked at me in the eyes before continuing with a shaky breath. "That's when the Third Shinobi War was at its peak." MY eyes widened, his statement explained everything. I wanted to say something, but he continued. HIs lips rambled off, getting faster and faster by the second. The grip on my body grew tighter like a vice, and it made me squirm.

"Otou-san!" I cried, watching helplessly as father trembled. Some thing skipped in my chest as I watched in horror as Fathers eyes shrunk back into dots, shaking with fear.

He was having a break down.

"One day she was sent on a mission she never came back from. I remember it clearly, her auburn hair, the kiss she gave to father, the hug she squeezed across my body. I remember her pained eyes, the foreHEAD PROTECTOR, HER SCENT, THE COLD **NIGHTS, THE MESSEGE** , **HER** -"

"STOP!" I screamed. Father's lost eyes locked onto mine, right on the verge of breaking into hysteria. His nails had dug deeply into my pale skin, drawing dribbles of blood. But it didn't phase me, no matter how stinging the pain felt. By the quiver of his lips and the sheer sadness in his eyes, I could tell that Father was distraught. I knew couldn't blame him It seemed like the trauma of his mother's death was still with him, a fact that I would take heed of, but I needed to calm him down. I couldn't stand the look of despair he gave me. He hiccuped, realizing the implications of his near complete breakdown. His head snapped away from my terrified gaze.

"I-I'm so-"

"Stop it!" I cut in, wincing at how sharp my tone was. Father stared back at me with wide eyes. THe atmosphere had turned tense, and it was something that I wanted to go, and fast.

"No." I began, squeezing a hand into his shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for asking." My chest tightened, uncomfortable with the intense feeling of sadness. Hot tears clogged my vision as Father brought his fight hand to wipe away the salty droplets from my eyes. HIs lip quivered, along with his body, before the storm in his gut caused him to drop to his knees.

"Don't cry, it's your otou-san's troubles, not yours!" He babbled, resting his forehead carefully on mine. I gasped, tears flooding down my cheeks and chin. THe emotions rolled off of him like a crashing wave, invading me fully. It was too much. I sobbed along with him, holding onto him for dear life as he continued in his silent sobs. My eyes started to sting, before the sensation transformed into full fledged burning. The tears were too much for me to bear, but I eventually began to calm down.

We both did.

The silence had taken over us as we sat there in silence, huffing from the intense releasing of emotions. I stared back into the clear image of his face when his eyes rested on mine, widening for a fraction of a second.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just...don't tell your Okaa-san about this, deal?"

I stared up at him for a full-fledged minute, mind racing back to the story of my grandparents. What happened to Grandfather?

It seemed like my own thoughts came out as words, because I saw another flash of pain on his face. My eyes widened, realizing my mistake.

 _Stupid mouth! Stupid brain!_

"That's...another story for another day." Father replied. "I just want you to remember to keep your thoughts away from your lips, for your sake."

I nodded with no words, relieved when he released me from his grip. Father was quick to leave, telling me that he would send Udon up to get me for lunch, before the door closed. I stood there in silence, relaying the new information in my brain. So my grandmother was a kunoichi, and grandfather was a wealthy merchant.

Interesting.

My mind then went to mother and her parents. It was obvious that father held some sort of beef with shinobi because of the death of his mother, but what about his father? What about Mother's parents? What were their stories? Curiosity built up in me. I knew that it would have been a bad idea to ask now. It would be best to wait it out before I could confront her, but it would be hard.

I just really wanted to know.

* * *

 **Another short chapter finished. Yay**

 **That scene with Sasuke might not have made any scene setting wise. I only realized that now, but that's alright. I tried. His character is tough to write.**

 **Man that scene with Katsu's father was hard to write, coming up with the right movements and thoughts was very challenging. I think it worked, so yay for that?. Next time the main story will finally be hitting up, including Katsu's first year of school!**

 **Expect new Oc's to pop up, I hope this all will work out.**

 **Until next time**

 **Ja ne**


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